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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24590509">Darling so it goes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/an_aphorism/pseuds/an_aphorism'>an_aphorism</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hush [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bathing/Washing, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:28:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,961</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24590509</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/an_aphorism/pseuds/an_aphorism</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith thinks to be helpful, and reaches back to turn the bath water on. “Join me?” Keith asks. His voice is low in this space, already softened. Shiro leans back up and drops a kiss onto his cheek.</p><p>“If you want.”</p><p>“I do,” Keith says.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith/Shiro (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hush [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1444252</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>132</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Darling so it goes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s been a long day for both of them. By the time they get back to their apartment they're nearly stumbling through the door while holding onto each other. Their suits are stuck with sweat from the desert heat in mid-summer, and before Keith can even suggest it, Shiro guides him toward the bathroom.</p><p>“Let me,” Shiro says, hands on Keith’s when Keith starts to undress. Keith only sighs in relief and lets his boyfriend begin to untuck his shirt. It’s quiet in the bathroom as Shiro undresses him slowly, but the comfortable kind of quiet. It’s the silence they’ve had for years, settled in and well-worn. Keith likes it so much.</p><p>Shiro’s hands skim across Keith’s skin as it become unveiled. It feels relaxing, and Keith almost sags into those capable hands. It's almost too easy to do these days, absolute in the knowledge that Shiro will catch him should be fall.</p><p>“Sit,” Shiro says, and helps Keith to the edge of the tub. He blinks slowly at Shiro while Shiro begins to work his leggings off. They're tacky with sweat and his skin goosebumps as it's freed to the air. Then Keith thinks to be helpful, and reaches back to turn the bath water on. Shiro’s eyes flicker up where he’s kneeled at Keith’s feet.</p><p>“Join me?” Keith asks. His voice is low in this space, already softened. Shiro leans back up and drops a kiss onto his cheek.</p><p>“If you want.”</p><p>“I do,” Keith says.</p><p>Shiro gets back to his feet to undress, and Keith turns to stopper the tub and let it begin to fill. There’s a bottle of Galran bath soap on the rim, and Keith douses the water with a generous amount. When he turns back Shiro is almost entirely nude, and is just detaching his arm.</p><p>Keith smiles. He loves the careless way Shiro is with him now, no pretense with nudity. It feels so domestic it makes his chest warm.  Keith stands, offering a hand out to Shiro.</p><p>It’s easy enough to settle them both into the bath. It’s a large one specifically installed after the first few clumsy and cramped attempts at bathing together. Now Keith steps into the tub and helps Shiro in after. Shiro sits down first, back against the far wide rim that's just made for that sort of reclining. Keith settles himself down between Shiro’s legs.</p><p>The water hasn’t filled yet, only barely covering their legs, and the suds are just beginning to mushroom into white and pink clouds. Keith sighs and leans back against Shiro’s broad chest.</p><p>Shiro’s arm wraps around Keith’s middle easily, and he tilts his head into Keith’s throat. Keith can still smell the sweat on him, he’s sure he smells the same. It’s nice in it’s own way, there's no fantasy here it's viscerally real. Scarred and sweaty and tired and <em>real</em>. Keith wouldn't trade it for anything.</p><p>“Long day,” Shiro says. Keith huffs, hands going to the bubbles, pulling them closer to him as the water rises. They prickle and pop against his skin in a pleasant sensation. Keith picks some up and puts them on Shiro's shins, watching the soap slide over and over in a trail of pink.</p><p>They sit there mostly quiet as the water fills. When it gets higher Keith begins to take palmfuls of warm water and dump them over Shiro’s knees that are still bent up above the waterline. A kiss presses to his neck in return and he smiles.</p><p>“Hand me the shampoo,” Shiro finally says when the water gets up to their chests. Keith does so, scooting toward and taking the moment to dunk his hair under the still running faucet. He returns to sitting back to Shiro, hair dripping.</p><p>A moment later there’s a colder spill on his scalp and then Shiro’s hand in his hair.</p><p>“Been better with two hands,” Keith says.</p><p>“Maybe. Sometimes this is better though. My hand on your skin, your hair,” Shiro says softly.</p><p>He’s said things like this before when they were in bed, and each time it catches Keith unexpectedly. There’s something there they haven’t breached yet, but it makes Keith feel a tight bloom of something in his chest. He knows he's being trusted with something here, he's being given Shiro at his most vulnerable and it's a gift he doesn't take lightly. Keith swallows hard. “Okay.”</p><p>Shampoo is worked through the top of Keith's head slowly, and then down the length. When his hair is pulled off his nape Shiro leans in to kiss him there. “Besides it’s a good excuse to have you wash my hair.”</p><p>A breath presses out of Keith. “I would do that anyway.”</p><p>“I know.” Shiro cards his hand through Keith’s hair over and over, spreading the soap thoroughly. Then there's a tap on his shoulder.</p><p>Keith knows that’s his cue, and he turns around to face Shiro carefully, tipping backwards to put his head under the running faucet. He shuts his eyes but feels Shiro watching him rinse. He likes that, being watched by Shiro.He knows Shiro does it sometimes. He'll feel the weight of it when Keith is doing dishes or reading. Sometimes he'll wake in the morning and feel that adoring attention on him and wonder how long the man was lying in bed just watching. Keith never asks, wouldn't even want it put into something as inadequate as language, but it's nice to know. Nice to feel.</p><p>Carefully he palms his hair to wash out the soap, taking his time with that steady gaze on him. He tilts his head, throat bared, hands sliding through his hair. He knows he looks a picture, and he likes that it's just for Shiro. Shiro thinks Keith is beautiful, and while Keith never cared much for aesthetics, he likes that he can be something nice to look at. He likes that he can use this body not just for fighting and war but for love. For beauty.</p><p>When he finishes rinsing, the water is reaching dangerously high levels, and Keith turns the faucet off.</p><p>“Now you,” Keith says, sliding forward and onto Shiro’s lap. This time he straddles Shiro to face him. The movement is a touch too quick, and causes a ripple of water of the edge of the tub. Shiro laughs. “Oops,” Keith says.</p><p>But Shiro is smiling, exhausted and fond and—</p><p>“I love you,” Keith says, cupping the man’s face. Shiro's eyes crinkle in further fondness.</p><p>“I love you.”</p><p>Keith kisses his lips, and then reaches for the shampoo. Shiro’s arm curls around him, warm and secure.</p><p>Keith spills the shampoo onto one hand and then takes it to Shiro’s scalp. “Close your eyes,” he says.</p><p>Shiro does in complete ease, and Keith gets to work. Shiro doesn’t have as much hair as he does, so it shouldn’t take nearly as long, but Keith indulges. A lot of their joint baths are focused on Keith after a hard day or romp in the sheets. Most of their baths Shiro doesn’t take his arm off. This isn't any of those occasions, so Keith doesn't want to let it pass him by.</p><p>He takes his time. Keith drags his nails across Shiro’s scalp, listening to the small sounds of pleasure that Shiro tries to contain. They're wonderful, barely audible even in the silent room. Eventually Keith gets to the back of Shiro’s neck, and grazes his nails from there up and to around Shiro’s ears. Shiro sighs loudly.</p><p>“S’nice,” Shiro says, his voice low and honeyed.</p><p>There’s a small cup that they keep for just this purpose in the other corner of the tub and Keith reaches for it when the sudsing has gone on entirely too long. Shiro’s nearly melted in the porcelain, head tipped back.</p><p>It's easy then to scoop water and pour it carefully over his hair. Keith uses his hands again, running through his short hair with more touching than necessary. Shiro is nearly purring by the time the soap is gone, and Keith feels the actual sound come up in his own throat at the sight.</p><p>After the next water pour Shiro blinks his eyes open, mouth quirked at him.</p><p>“Hush,” Keith says even as the purr grows louder.</p><p>“<em>Baby</em>,” Shiro says, “I’m not even touching you.”</p><p>“Hush,” A flush runs up Keith’s throat.</p><p>And then Shiro is reaching for the bath scrub. “Let me fix that,” he says.</p><p>Keith doesn’t move from his spot on Shiro’s lap, but helps to dump some soap on the sponge when Shiro holds it before him.</p><p>The sponge Shiro then runs across Keith’s chest, up to his shoulders, down one arm and then the next. Back down to scoop more water, then Shiro brushes over Keith’s soft cock and over and down one thigh and then another.</p><p>“Underarms,” Shiro directs when he pulls the sponge back up, and Keith lifts one arm and then another, trying not to laugh at the ticklish sensation. Shiro grins at him knowingly but doesn’t linger. “Good,” he says then, and Keith knows just what to do.</p><p>He folds in, tucking up into Shiro’s neck, scooting a little closer until they’re warm skin to warm skin. The sponge runs down his back, dipping into the water and then up, slowly, slowly. The heat of the water across his skin feels sublime in contrast to the firm texture of the sponge.</p><p>The purr vibrates in his chest, and Keith just gives into it, sighing contentedly into Shiro’s throat.</p><p>Shiro washes him like this for a long time, up and down his back. It’s a caressing more than anything, and Keith feels selfish to have it. It still just feels too good, too perfect. Like everything Shiro.</p><p>He tilts his head to kiss Shiro’s neck, nuzzling the skin that still smells a little like sweat because Shiro hasn’t been properly washed.</p><p>“My turn?” Keith says softly after another few minutes of the treatment.</p><p>There’s a sound of amusement, and then Shiro reaches down into the water to find Keith’s hand and give him the sponge.</p><p>It’s an effort to pull out of that comfortable space, but Keith does it. He re-sudses the sponge and then goes about washing Shiro. It’s… intimate as it always is. Sometimes these baths end in sex, but a lot of times there’s just this… charge. They’re here and warm and comfortable.</p><p>Keith spends just as much time washing Shiro. Across his chest, down to his belly and groin, then legs and arms. Shiro watches, quiet, but slowly his eyes begin to dip in relaxation. Keith’s chest fills to see it. After everything, there’s this. It’s them, together. It makes him fiercely proud. He tugs Shiro forward a little and takes his weight, almost like a hug, so he can wash his back. He spends a long time doing that, up and down, treating Shiro just as well as Shiro treats him. The body against his grows heavier as Shiro relaxes into Keith's capable arms.</p><p>“Time for bed, captain?” Keith says softly when the water has started to grow noticeably cold. Shiro hums already half asleep.</p><p>Keith gets them up carefully and out of the tub. It’s too long a day for clothing, so Keith doesn’t bother. He dries Shiro and props him at the bathroom counter to brush his teeth. Keith towels himself off and then brushes his own teeth.</p><p>When they fall into bed it’s in a tangle of skin. Shiro smells of vanilla soap and he's warm all over from the heat of the water. Shiro tucks in close with a sleepy sigh, ear pressed just to where Keith’s purr is loudest. Keith smiles lovesick into the dark and closes his eyes. They sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I wrote this on twitter first because I wanted some soft right now, spruced it up for here. </p><p>I'm @an_aphorism on twitter where I oscillate wildly between soft and horny content. Duality of man and all that.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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